Purpose
- For this assignment, you are to write a profile essay based on an observational visitof a place or an activity. You may write about a person, a group of people, a place, or an activity. Your goal will be to observe your subject closely,and then to present what you have learned in a way that both informs and engagesyour reader.
Audience
- Depending on the subject you choose for your profile, your audience might consist of general readers who may be familiar with your subject, so you will need to teach them something new about the subject. On the other hand, if general readers are not likely familiar with your subject, you will need to teach them enough about your subject to understand the profile.
Criteria
- The essay must contain at least 6 paragraphs and should be at least 3.5 pages long.
- Paragraph #1
Introduce the place/activity. In this paragraph, you will need to create the context for your profile by giving your readers the background information necessary to help them understand your subject. You will need to conduct some research to gather this information. This paragraph will end with a clear thesis statement that reflects the main focus of your profile (your dominant impression of the place/activity).
- Body Paragraphs- #2, #3, #4, & #5 , etc.
In each of these paragraphs, you will narrate your observational visit. Interwoven within these body paragraphs, will be information you gather during your observation and your research. This information will support your thesis statement.
- Last Paragraph
This will be your concluding paragraph. In it, you will need to restate your thesis (your dominant impression of the place/activity) in different words. You will also need to leave your readers with a memorable image that helps them remember what you have taught them about your subject.
- You will need to cite two sources of information in your essay. One source can be an interview; however, it is not required to be.
- Possible Sources: A Web site for the place/activity, a brochure for the place/activity, a series of photos (at least 4) that you took during your observational visit—counts as ONE source, a newspaper article about the place/activity, a press release about the place/activity, etc.
- You will need to choose a subject for which you can have the observational visit completed sometime BEFORE class time on October 12**if you cannot complete your visit during this timeframe, choose a different subject.
- You may not choose to write about a place or an event that you attended in the past with the exception of a place you are able to visit again between today and Monday, October 12 for the purpose of taking observational notes.
- Do not use second person (you) except in direct quotations.
- Proofread very carefully, especially for major grammatical errors, which will count off heavily. College papers are expected to be written in grammatically correct Standard Written English.
- The essay must adhere to the MLA format—typed, double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman Font, 1” margins, Correct MLA heading, correct MLA running head (last name and page number in the HEADER of the document), correct MLA in-text citations, and correct MLA Works Cited page.
